Education International – 10th World Congress.

By Tumu Whakarae – Tiriti, | National President – Tiriti, Dr Julie Douglas

Education International is the peak body for education unions globally. It is the voice of teachers and education workers through 383 member organisations, representing 32 million union members in 178 countries and territories.

I was fortunate enough to attend the 5-yearly Congress over the last two weeks with co-president Huhana Watene and National Secretary Sandra Grey. There were just over 1,200 delegates in attendance.

Most of the topics on the agenda centred around some common themes.

• Public education is under attack from:
  • Underfunding;
  • Curriculum control from the right;
  • Lack of academic autonomy and academic freedom; and
  • Corporate greed and business models not suitable for education.
• Democracy is under threat around the globe from the right and often through mechanisms of disinformation;
• Indigenous people’s rights to equality, education, and appropriate education are increasingly marginalised;
• All marginalised groups, including queer and disabled persons, were experiencing a decline in legitimate rights to voice, vote, employment, and education opportunities; and
• The very real impacts of the climate crisis being felt across the globe.

All of these are also our issues here in Aotearoa New Zealand. As unionists and teachers, we gathered united in our desire and belief for a better future, and clear that a better future is only through transparent democracy and decent public education.

Saed Erziqat, Gen Sec of the General Union of Palestinian Teachers sat behind me and when he saw my “Free Palestine” badge we immediately connected across many issues. He was deeply grateful of the TEU messages of support, as were the Ukraine delegates. Words mattered! As one speaker said, “Ink is more powerful than lead.”

To be in a union means to stand in solidarity with workers wherever they are. The TEU is not just an education union of 12,000 but connected to an education union movement of 32,000,000.

With our collective intent and support for each other, recognising our issues and assaults are the same, we can organise, fight, and make a difference. However, we are not talking nirvana just yet. We don’t aways agree.

It was deeply moving to hear the experiences of teachers in Nigeria where there is a daily fear of schools being destroyed, their students killed or kidnapped, and their own lives at risk by extremist militia. In Argentina, the newly elected government is launching an assault on the autonomy of university staff amid general curbs on workers/unions rights and the right to speak against the government. The lack of democracy in Haiti has destroyed the education system. The destruction of education systems and infrastructure in Gaza, Libya, Ukraine, and Pacific nations through war or climate events is devastating to civil society. Not least the USA, where the erosion of democracy and human rights – particularly reproductive and queer rights – in the education realm is happening on an unimaginable scale.

As Mark Potter, NZEI President, said in his address – even in a stable democracy like Aotearoa, the politics of the day have shifted and undemocratic, racist, xenophobic rhetoric is making inroads. “Nowhere can be complacent.”

So fellow comrades, we are unionists first – driven by a belief in fighting for social justice in every place injustice is found. If we don’t, who will? And second, we are TEU members – small enough to feel connected locally and strong enough to take on the global challenge. Every win we have is a win for all unionists.

The connection I felt last week was profound. I am reminded what really matters as a union leader. We must look to the horizon to what we want to achieve and not get caught up in the minutiae that only benefits the bosses and takes us off track.

Unions are powerful places of deep connection and never more necessary than now.

As we chanted at congress: WHEN WE FIGHT – WE WIN! You are in great company.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the union wins of history, especially when unions held hands across the globe, drop me a line. I could ramble on for days.